A New Relationship
by Nonnihil Scelestus
Summary: This is a MelindaOlivia story. Its rated K for the moment but it is subject to change and could be rated as high as M in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I dont own these characters. I just borrow them from time to time.

Warning: This will be slash in the future so dont read it if you arent interested in that sort of thing.

**A New Relationship**

It had been a long day. The current case was brutal and Olivia was having a hard time dealing with it. She thanked god that Elliot was in court for the week. He would have gone into the protector of all children mode and broken something. The child was found in an alley way behind an upscale restaurant. One of the waiters was taking out the garbage and discovered her. She was wrapped in a blanket and put in a basket. All in all, that could have been handled, except for the fact that the poor baby was beaten and all of the bones in her tiny body were broken. Olivia sighed inwardly as she worked diligently to find a lead to connect this little girl to someone and give her justice. Unfortunately nothing was coming up. They had sent her DNA through the system to see if she was the daughter of an offender. Nothing came up. They had canvassed the neighborhood and talked to all of the restaurant staff. Nothing came up. It was frustrating. This time Olivia sighed aloud.

"Olivia go home. You've been staring at the file folder for over an hour without doing anything. Get some sleep. Come back in the morning with a fresh outlook." Cragen ordered her. She nodded and started to shut down her computer. Cragen was mildly surprised that he didn't get an argument out of her but didn't push his luck on getting Olivia out of the building. Olivia packed it up and headed out. She wanted to crash at home but her mind was racing still. She decided to stop in at a bar down the street from her apartment. Olivia know for a fact that she didn't have anything to drink in her kitchen cabinets so she might as well unwind close enough to home so that she wouldn't have to call a cab.

Walking into the bar, Olivia was hit with the smell of booze and a whiff of cigarette smoke, not all unpleasant but not the best smell in the world. She grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. Not five minutes later Olivia felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into the soft brown eyes of Melinda Warner.

"Fancy meeting you here." Melinda said gently.

"Yeah, really. This doesn't seem like the type of place you'd frequent." Olivia said by way of a greeting.

"Well these days it's normal…Hey Joe, another beer." Melinda waved at the bartender.

"I guess so." Olivia said with a raised eyebrow. She waited a beat for an explanation. Melinda obliged her after taking a seat on the stool next to her.

"A few months ago my husband and I got a divorce. We hardly see each other and even when we are at home alone….lets just say nothing happens. There wasn't any drive or excitement in our marriage anymore. We were going to stay together until our daughter graduated from high school, but she finally broke down and told us in her teenage way, that we needed to spilt and stop ruining her life. Her words." Melinda paused to take a drink of her beer. Olivia didn't say anything and waited for Melinda to continue. "So we finalized the divorce. I gave the house up since Jasmine wanted to live there and Malachi is home more than I am. I got an apartment a few blocks from here actually."

"So you're the one that moved in down the hall." Olivia joked.

"Actually I am." Melinda said seriously. This time both eyebrows went up.

"I was joking. I'm not home enough to notice if anyone moved in or out." Olivia said.

"I wasn't. I really did move into you apartment complex." Melinda turned back to her beer.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"No need to involve personal issues at work, there are enough of those as it is." Olivia knew she was referring to the tiny child that they were currently investigating.

"You want to talk about it?" Olivia asked. Melinda seemed to be considering it for a moment.

"Sure but not here." Liv nodded and pulled a few bills out of her pocket to cover their drinks. Melinda took charge after that and led them out of the bar and down the street to their apartment building.

They ended up on Olivia's couch as Melinda hadn't finished unpacking yet. She made them hot chocolate and listen when Melinda began to tell her what happened.

"You know my husband and I never had a very exciting life. Neither one of us was around the other all that much. We both worked hard and had long hours, but we were happy with each other. When Jasmine was born, we lost all of it. Malachi was working overtime to make ends meet because I was taking time off for our little girl. She was so sweet. Jasmine used to smile up at me and laugh. She would gurgle and coo. She was so happy. I was too. I thought to myself that it didn't matter that I never saw my husband anymore, that we weren't having any kind of a relationship inside our marriage. I had my baby girl and I would give her the home I didn't have. My mother was a single parent. Now that Jasmine's 17, I'm lucky if I even see her, let alone talk to her. She hated being at home because Malachi and I would fight whenever we saw each other, which wasn't often but frequently enough to drive a teenager nuts. She wont see me now because I left her father and she worships him." Melinda felt the tears start to roll down her cheeks.

Olivia set their cups aside and drew her close. Melinda cried for what seemed like hours. Her breathing calmed and she sat up and gave Olivia a watery smile. Olivia brushed the last few droplets away.

"Thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder."

"That's what friends are for."

"I guess I should head back down the hall to my place." Melinda said as she started to stand up.

"Hey. Do you want to stay here tonight?" Olivia asked as she grabbed her hand. Melinda nodded shyly. She really didn't want to go home to her lonely apartment down the hall. Olivia stood.

"Come on, you can sleep in my room and I'll take the couch."

"No don't do that. Let me take the couch. I don't want to put you out."

"How about a deal? Why don't we share my room? That way we both win." Melinda looked hesitant, but Olivia tugged on her hand. "Come on." She led the way to the bedroom. Melinda paused in the doorway. She felt like she was intruding. Olivia waved her in as she dug through a drawer for pajamas. She came up with 2 sets.

"These should fit you as we're pretty close to the same size." She held them out to Melinda who took the graciously. Olivia directed her to the bathroom and changed wile she was gone. Melinda come back a second later, dressed in some sot shorts and a tank top. Olivia was dressed in a similar fashion.

"Thank you." Melinda said quietly. Olivia nodded.

"Not a problem. Pick a side." She said as she gestured to the bed. Melinda chose the side closest to where she was standing and climbed in after Olivia did.

"Good night Mel." Olivia said gently.

"Mel? That's a new one. Cute. O.K. Liv." Olivia grinned. "Don't mind me if I suddenly try to cuddle in the middle of the night. 20 years of marriage will do that to you. Just push me away." Melinda said.

"Hey don't worry about it. If I try to take over the bed and you end up falling off, push me over. 20 years of sleeping alone will do that to you." Olivia said with a chuckle.

"Good night Liv."

"Good night Mel."


	2. Chapter 2

A New Relationship: Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Should be in the first chapter but just in case, I don't own the characters and I don't claim to. I just borrow them occasionally and use them with the odd little plots I come up with.

Melinda woke first, the next morning. It was to the sound of Olivia's phone ringing. Liv was only a second behind her in waking.

"Benson" Olivia said already on high alert.

"Liv, I just got a call from the night shift. A woman came in to the precinct about her baby. They think it's the mother. I'm calling Warner in, in a minute." Cragen said on the other end.

"Thanks Captain. I'll be there in 20." With that Olivia ended the call.

"A break in the case?" Melinda asked.

"Yeah, maybe. You should get a call from the Captain any minute now." Liv answered. Melinda nodded, just as her phone rang. Olivia went into the bathroom and took a quick two-minute shower. She left her hair wet and wrapped a towel around herself. When she came out, Melinda had braided her long hair and was dressed.

"Bathrooms yours if you want it." Olivia said. Melinda nodded and took it over for a moment while Liv dressed. It only took a second as she threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed a sweater. When Melinda came out, Olivia was putting on her shoes.

"Well let's go. We can share a cab or a car." Melinda announced with a small, grim smile.

"Better off with a car. It's hell finding a cab at 4 in the morning." Came Olivia's reply. Melinda nodded in agreement. They dashed out the door and were on their way.

Melinda dropped Olivia off at the precinct doors, then parked her car and headed to the morgue.

"Captain," Olivia called as she entered the squad room.

"Liv, my office." The Captain gestured from the door way. Olivia nodded

"Ma'am, I'm Detective Benson. Can you tell me how old your daughter is?" She asked.

"Ma petite is 4 months old. Her papa and I didn't get along so well, and I am new to America, from France. Pierre…Peter lives near the restaurant where the baby on the television was found. When he didn't bring Seraphine home last night et did not call, I thought it might be ma petite." The woman said.

"OK, what is Peter's last name?" Olivia asked.

"Jansen. He works for a magazine as an editor. I don't remember which."

"That's OK. We'll find him. Do you know what kind of car her drives?"

"Oui, a red Jeep Wrangler."

"OK…Captain?" Olivia asked.

"I got it. I'll run DMV records. Go ahead and take her." Liv nodded.

"Miss…?"

"Giselle Cousteau."

"Miss Cousteau, if you'll come with me, I'll take you down stairs." Olivia said gently. Giselle's eyes filled with tears.

"You are taking me to my baby, no?"

"Miss Cousteau, it could be that this isn't your baby." Olivia said quietly. She led the French woman down to the morgue and to the viewing area. Giselle took one look at the little girls and crumpled.

"That is my baby." She wailed.

"Miss Cousteau, are you sure?" Olivia asked.

"Oui…ma petite, ma petite…"

"Can you tell us if she has any birthmarks or scars?"

"Oui, an etoile on her ankle, a star." Giselle said through her sobs. Melinda nodded.

"OK Miss Cousteau, we're going to get the man who did this. Do you want to come back up stairs, or would you like to stay with Dr. Warner until your daughter is released for burial?"

"I will stay." Olivia nodded and went back up stairs to the squad room.

"Olivia, we found him." The Captain said as she entered the room.

"Good. Now let's go nail the son-ofa-bitch."


	3. Chapter 3

A New Relationship: Chapter 3

Olivia and the Captain tracked don Peter Jansen and brought him in for questioning. He had refused a lawyer and within an hour of interrogation, had admitted to the brutal murder of his 4 month old daughter. He claimed her did it to get back at Giselle for making him pay child support and that no man should have to bend to he will of a mere woman. It had burned his ass to be taken down by a woman cop and then prosecuted by a woman ADA. Even the Medical Examiner, who handled his dead child's body, was a woman.

Olivia sat back with a beer, again at Joe's just down the block from her apartment. Melinda was seated across from her.

"You ok?" She asked.

"I will be. This case reminded me of one a few years back when a mother threw her kid against a wall because she wouldn't stop crying. That was a tough one for Munch." Olivia answered.

"We all have tough ones. When I looked down at that baby, I thought of Jasmine and what she was like at that age."

"There are days, especially ones like today when I wonder why people have children if they don't want them or can't take care of them. Then I remember that a lot of the time it's an accident and that there are people out there who do care. I mean just look me." Melinda frowned for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I was an accident. My mom was raped and I was a product o that rape. My mother made a choice to keep me and she took care of me for the most part. It wasn't easy but we managed." Melinda nodded in understanding.

"My mother was a single parent as well. My dad ran out on us right after I was born, said he wasn't cut out to be a father. Mom was devastated but she managed too. That's why I wanted to stay together for Jasmine, so that she would have the home I didn't."

"I guess we have different views. Because of my moms life I never really wanted kids. I had a bad view of life early on and didn't really want to bring a child into a world like this. It's probably why I'm attracted to the same sex and not men. I guess I feel men are untrustworthy, with few exceptions, such as Elliot, Munch, Fin and the Captain."

"Are you really attracted to women?" Melinda asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but no worries. I won't leap up and jump your bones." Olivia answered with a devilish grin.

"I wasn't worried, just curious. I experimented a little before I married Malachi. I guess you could say I'm bisexual." Melinda said shyly.

"Really? That's interesting. Well what say we call it a night? After an early morning, I could use an early night." Olivia said. Melinda agreed and they headed toward their apartment building. They separated in the hall as Olivia went into her apartment and Melinda continued on to her own.

Olivia never went to sleep easily but tonight she was out in under half an hour. Melinda on the other hand was having a little more difficult time. She lay on her couch, trying to sleep. She didn't have a bed or she would have been more comfortable. All her thoughts were going a mile a minute and in a large circle. She would think about Giselle Cousteau which would make her think of baby Seraphine. That would make Melinda think of her own daughter, Jasmine, which would make her think of Malachi. That would make her think of Jansen and then back to Giselle and the baby. After staring at the ceiling for two hours, Melinda gave up and began to pace. It was difficult with all the boxes piled around. When two hours became three, she sought out Olivia. Melinda slept well next to her friend, better than she had in a long time. She walked down the hall and knocked on the door. It only took a minute for Olivia to open it.

"Hey," She said sleepily.

"Hey, I'm sorry to wake you up, but can I stay with you tonight." Melinda asked quietly.

"Sure, Mel. Come in." Olivia stepped aside and let her inside. She locked the door behind them and led the way back to her bedroom. As both were already dressed in pajamas, they climbed right in. Melinda wiggled a little trying to get comfortable. Finally she settled in. Olivia wrapped and arm around Melinda's waist and tugged her a little closer. Melinda was startled for a moment, and then relaxed, this was Olivia after all.

"Go to sleep, Mel." Olivia whispered in her ear, so that's what she did. Melinda closed her eyes and was asleep in moments with Liv not far behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

A New Relationship: Chapter 4

Over the next few months Melinda spent more and more time at Olivia's. They had unpacked Mel's apartment but she was never comfortable there. Almost every night they slept in Liv's bed, especially since Mel didn't have one. They woke at the same time, for work and ate breakfast together. Melinda and Olivia lived like lovers but were just friends, something both women wanted to change but weren't sure how to go about it. Surprisingly enough, it was Melinda who made the first move. She bought a larger bed, one that they could both sleep on comfortable without worrying about falling off, or being kicked out of. Melinda had it installed on a day when their days off didn't mesh. It was a queen size, four poster bed, something both women had always wanted. Unsure of bedding, Melinda decided to wait for Olivia to come home and moved Liv's old bed down the hall to her own apartment. That done she dashed back in to Liv's apartment and waited. Melinda only had to wait 15 minutes before Olivia came in.

"Hey Mel, I got off early." Olivia called into the apartment as she took her keys out of the door.

"That's good. I have a surprise for you." Melinda answered from her seat on the couch. Olivia's face lit up.

"Really, what is it?" She asked. It was so wonderful to please someone like Olivia.

"Well come with me and I'll show you." Melinda took her hand and led her back to her bedroom. She opened the door and Olivia let out a gasp.

"You did this for me?" Liv questioned.

"Yeah, I did." Mel answered shyly. Olivia was so happy; she pulled Melinda into a hug and then kissed her on the mouth. Melinda was in shock but Olivia's next question brought her out of it.

"Do we get to go shopping for bedding?" She asked.

"Of course, that's part of the surprise too. Let's go." Both women smiled as they left the apartment. Olivia was happy over the prospect of shopping but she had no idea what she had done to Melinda. That kiss had nailed home a point both women had been avoiding for the last few weeks or so. Melinda felt dazed. She was in love and it felt wonderful. All she wanted to do was kiss Olivia again and make love to her. Olivia was the one person she wanted forever. The thought stole her breath but Liv didn't notice. She just grabbed Mel's hand and led her into 'Bed, Bath & Beyond'.

They chose a new comforter, with pillow shams, 4 sets of sheets, and a few decorative pillows for the room, all in shades of blue, ranging from dark to light, a color both women loved.

As they drove home, it hit Olivia that she had kissed Melinda earlier. She realized she loved her long before it had occurred to Melinda herself. Olivia was hoping to ask Mel to move in with her, and she hoped after today, she would say yes.

"Mel, I have a question to ask you." Olivia said as they put the freshly washed, new bedding on the bed.

"OK." Melinda said in return.

"Would you move in with me?" Liv didn't look up and Mel felt breathless again. This is exactly what she wanted.

"Yes, Olivia, I would like that very much." Came the reply. Olivia's head snapped up. She came around the bed and pulled Melinda into her arms and kissed her gently and slowly. Melinda responded this time. They pulled away for breath.

"I love you Olivia." Mel said as they went back to hugging.

"I love you too." Olivia answered as she pulled back and looked into her eyes. Suddenly she got a wicked twinkle in her eyes. "What say we christen the new bed?" Melinda grinned and toppled the detective back onto it.

"Yes, lets."


	5. Chapter 5

A New Relationship: Chapter 5 – Epilogue

5 Years Later

"Liv, honey, I'm home." Melinda called as she walked into their home, a beautiful Brownstone they bought the year before.

"Hey, Mel, we're in the bathroom." Olivia answered from upstairs. She was in the middle of giving their daughter a bath. She was a happy 2 year old, named Ellen with pretty brown curls. Olivia and Melinda had adopted her, not long after they moved into their Brownstone.

"There are my angels. How were things today?" Melinda asked.

"We had fun. We went to the book store and got some books and then we went by the pet store to look at the puppies. Ellen fell in love with this little ball of fluff and I couldn't say no."

"You bought a dog?"

"Yeah. He's very sweet and he's house trained." Olivia looked sheepish.

"Where is he?" Olivia pointed behind Mel to where a malamute puppy sat on the stoop looking at them curiously. "A Malamute? Olivia, he'll be huge." Melinda groaned.

"Shadow!" Olivia squealed from the bath. The dog bounded in and propped his feet on the edge of the tub, tongue hanging out.

"Sorry Mel. It was love, nothing I could do." Olivia said as she lifted Ellen out and began drying her off.

"Well it is her birthday, today." She reached down to scratch the pup's ears. "Welcome to the family, Shadow." Olivia grinned and looked at her watch.

"We better hurry. I told everyone 7 at the park. We'll be late." Olivia jumped up and bustled Ellen and Melinda into the master bedroom. They dressed Ellen in her favorite outfit, and then dressed themselves. Melinda put Ellen and Shadow in the car while Olivia got the cake, ice cream, presents, and locked the door without dropping anything.

They were only a few minutes late. The Captain was already there. As they pulled up, Munch, Fin, Elliot and Maureen, and Alex made their way across the park toward them. They were all carrying something for Ellen.

Melinda set up the table while Ellen was passed around to each of their friends. They sang 'Happy Birthday' to her and then they ate cake. After presents were opened and Ellen was asleep from the exhaustion, Captain Cragen made a toast with a cup of soda.

"To an awesome team and the most beautiful baby girl to become part of this family in the last year." They all raised their cups and Maureen pushed them all together for a picture with Ellen in the middle.

The picture was later framed and for as long as she could remember, Ellen had it hanging in her room.


End file.
